Fear Me

Cats in Korea are taboo. Many people here seem to see cats as dirty. Wow, what a difference to our perception in the west. My perception is that cats are about the cleanest animals in the kingdom.

We have a cat, in Bloemfontein, that handles herself pretty well despite the 3 Collie-Labradors and Jack Russell (a real terror) that try to nab her, sometimes even co-ordinating their attacks. Her strategy is stick to high ground. And when pursued, act non-chalant. If they get their snouts too close, they get a sharp claw in the soft sponge of their noses.

She's the sort of cat that tolerates affection. Now that I think of it, I think she only sits on one's lap for some peace and protection from the mutts. Sometimes, often, when touching her or stroking her, her eyes glaze over as if she is thinking: get on with it, get it over with... Then, when she's had enough, she'll flick her head around and lick the spot where your (dirty) fingers have been. A bit obsessive about cleanliness I'd say. I wonder if Julianne Moore likes cats. I do.

Our cat, sitting pretty somewhere near the ass end of Africa, proves once and for all that cats rule, and dogs drool. We've given her the name Booger. The name says a lot. It says she's a tough one, and it also is a tiny swipe at her saying, Oi, princess, don't take yourself too seriously okay. You're not the bees knees, and other people live here too.

Cats in Korea do often seemed to be outcasts, scavenging and in the shadows. Lord knows how they survive. Probably by knifing open garbage and hoping there's half open cans of tuna inside.
Presumably once those acquired as pets get beyond kitty status, they're turfed out and ignored. When I came home from gym one slunk out of the bushes and flew down an alley. I once had a cat follow me from the road to my door. That ginger cat is the friendliest I've met around here. She stuck so closely to my heels that I had to sprint off to gym to lose her.
If dogs get eaten in Korea, I'd like to know what happens to cats!